Let Me Go, Mr. Howard Chapter 137

Scarlett had never heard of an executive joining a routine site visit. Though puzzled, she had no reason to refuse. 

"Why would you want to accompany us to the site?" she asked with a furrowed brow.

"It's a government project, after all," Orion replied, shrugging. "Plus, I might get to speak with Mr. Wright in person—good for company relations, don't you think?" 

He gestured for them to follow him.

"Mr. Wright isn't in Sovereign City today," Scarlett immediately countered.

Orion paused mid-step and turned back. "How do you know that?"

Scarlett headed toward her own car with Hatty, showing no intention of joining Orion. "Mr. Wright is at a meeting in the neighboring city. He won't be back until tomorrow at the earliest."

Her certainty made Orion raise an eyebrow. "You seem remarkably well-informed."

Scarlett didn't hide anything—or at least appeared not to. She smiled at Orion. "I went to City Hall yesterday. The staff there told me."

This half-truth worked perfectly. Orion no longer insisted on joining them.

Just as Scarlett had said, Shawn wasn't at the site. Instead, a department head from the municipal government handled the communications. 

They already had MRK's blueprints—this visit was merely to confirm measurements and make any necessary adjustments early in the process.

On their way back, they encountered heavy traffic. What should have been a one-hour drive stretched into three hours.

As they finally passed the bottleneck, Scarlett glanced over and saw a man and woman arguing. The woman's face was covered, making her unidentifiable, but the man looked strangely familiar. 

A brief glimpse wasn't enough for Scarlett to recognize him, and she soon forgot about it.

That evening, Sebastian didn't come over. Scarlett had anticipated this and went to bed early, showing no intention of waiting up for anyone.

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On the day of her appointment with Shawn, Scarlett arrived early at The Golden Palate. 

What she didn't realize was that Shawn had arrived even earlier—his car had been parked at the entrance a full hour before their scheduled meeting time.

Scarlett, unaware of this, sat in the private dining room texting with Chris, who had no training that day. They'd been chatting since the afternoon.

She only put her phone away when she heard someone outside addressing Mr. Wright. The partially closed door prevented her from seeing clearly outside.

Scarlett didn't venture out, as the voice greeting Shawn wasn't familiar to her, making an appearance seem inappropriate.

Shawn's voice remained gentle and modest. "Hello, Mr. Aguilar."

"Do you have a meeting, Mr. Wright? With whom?" the man asked probingly.

"A family dinner," Shawn replied with a smile, revealing nothing specific.

This answer clearly surprised the other man, but he quickly laughed. "I see. I won't intrude then."

The conversation outside ended quickly. Moments later, the door opened from outside.

"Mr. Wright," Scarlett greeted him with a smile from her position by the entrance sofa.

Seeing her, Shawn looked slightly surprised. "You're early."

"So are you," Scarlett replied with a smile.

Not being particularly close, they exchanged brief pleasantries before sitting at the table. It was still early, with only a few appetizers served.

"Ms. Seymour, you shouldn't have gone to such expense," Shawn said, immediately recognizing the premium menu selection.

Scarlett smiled graciously. "It's nothing compared to your sacrifice, Mr. Wright."

At her words, Shawn paused with his teacup halfway to his lips. Understanding her meaning, he took a small sip and smiled gently. "I never considered it a sacrifice. You're being too modest."

Scarlett froze, her fingers imperceptibly tightening around her cutlery.

Shawn's response hadn't been mere social courtesy—it seemed to deliberately convey something more. 

She could sense it, yet felt it must be wishful thinking on her part. After all, why would the eldest son of the Wright family, a promising young bureau chief, be interested in someone like her—an illegitimate daughter?

She lowered her gaze to conceal her hesitation. When she looked up again, her eyes were clear and bright with a warm smile. "I was being narrow-minded. You have such an open heart, of course you wouldn't feel that way."

As she spoke, she gently turned the lazy Susan, bringing a plate of sautéed lobster tails to Shawn.

"Mr. Wright, please have a try. I hear it's their signature."

The Golden Palate specialized in East Coast seafood, and sautéed lobster tail was indeed one of their specialties.

Shawn understood her intention and smiled as he cut a piece with his fork. "It's excellent. But I heard that you prefer Southern cuisine?"

Scarlett looked at him matter-of-factly. "This a dinner for you, naturally I should prioritize your tastes."

"You're too considerate. I eat everything," Shawn said, turning to a nearby server. "Please prepare some Southern dishes. How about crab cakes with rich cream sauce? I believe you enjoy those, Ms. Seymour."

He looked back at her, his eyes warm with understanding, as if he'd made a point of remembering her preferences.

Under his attentive gaze, Scarlett quickly lowered her eyes, her voice suddenly nervous. "That's not necessary, Mr. Wright. We already have plenty of food. Adding more would be wasteful."

Just as she finished speaking, the private room door opened from outside.

Sebastian's tall figure appeared in the doorway. Standing at the threshold between light and shadow—the corridor behind him dimly lit—his silhouette appeared particularly striking, the contours of his form slightly blurred.

He stepped forward, his gaze lingering briefly on Shawn. His expression was cold, his voice completely flat. "Mr. Wright, I heard you were hosting a dinner. I'm entertaining next door and thought I'd say hello. You don't mind, do you?"

Sebastian fully entered the room, the warm yellow light fully illuminating his face. His brows were slightly furrowed, lips pressed into a straight line, his eyes as cold as ice water.

His gaze shifted to Scarlett, who had glanced up before quickly looking down again. His eyes held a searching quality.

"Scar? You're here too. It seems my grandfather was telling the truth?"

Showing no awareness that he was merely dropping by to say hello, Sebastian walked over and sat beside Scarlett.

Seeing Sebastian approach from the corner of her eye, Scarlett's breathing grew noticeably tense.

"What did Mr. George Howard say?" Shawn glanced at the now-rigid Scarlett before looking at Sebastian, not taking offense at his rudeness.

Sebastian leaned back in his chair, his gaze sweeping across Scarlett's downturned profile before settling on Shawn's face, a storm brewing in his eyes. "About your relationship, of course. I hear you're dating?"

He bit out the last words, glancing sideways at Scarlett's now-pale face with an almost imperceptible scoff.

Shawn didn't answer, only looking toward Scarlett.

"Scar, say something," Sebastian demanded, his tone cold and threatening.